Istanbul, this year’s European Capital of Culture, straddles two continents,
creating a multicultural and geo-political convergence that is without
parallel.

Istanbul’s opulent heritage dates back some 8,000 years to Neolithic settlements. Later called Byzantium and then Constantinople, Istanbul became the seat of power for the Ottomans. By the Twenties, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk almost singlehandedly ended 600 years of Ottoman rule when he created the modern and secular Turkish Republic through political, legal, social and economic reforms.

Today, Turkey is seen as a burgeoning economic powerhouse, ranked by the IMF as the world’s 16th largest economy. Per capita income alone has more than trebled over the past decade. Though there remain socio-economic hurdles, including the gulf between rich and poor, the government is making great strides.

Istanbul with its skyline of palaces, towering minarets, and modern skyscrapers, is undergoing a massive urban transformation, ranging from expanding public transport through to large housing initiatives that typically require developers to include schools, pools, shops and sports facilities.

The city is Turkey’s leading centre for commerce, culture, finance and industry - and its largest port. The Bosphorus Strait between the Aegean and the Black Sea, that divides Istanbul between Asia and Europe, is one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes.

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On the rolling hills surrounding the city, this area is a hive of new town-style developments. This month, Soyak Halkali will be launched by one of Turkey’s top 500 companies and a trusted name for quality construction. With tennis courts, pools, children’s playgrounds and gyms, the first tranche of 2,000 high-rise studios to three-bedroom units cost from €52,187 (£45,000) to £200,000 (www.spotblue.co.uk).

With sea views, proximity to three marinas and 20 minutes from Atatürk Airport in Buyukcekmece, is the five-star No 1 Knightsbridge development of 320 high-rise apartments. There are studios to three-bedroom flats from £77,500 (fixed in sterling) from www.experience-international.com.

Overlooking the Bosphorus, this desirable neighbourhood features lovely restaurants and shops – and commands top dollar prices. A three-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment is on the market for $3million, from www.hurriyetemlak.com.

In Ottoman times, wooden mansions or yali were built along the shores of the Bosphorus as elite summer homes. In an exclusive wooded neighbourhood is a stunning, modernised waterfront yali with five bedrooms for £5.54million (www.spotblue.co.uk).